Bailey

//ˈbeɪli// name, noun

name, noun ·Uncommon ·College level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    The outer wall of a feudal castle.
  2. 2
    An apple cultivar from New York
  3. 3
    the outer defensive wall that surrounds the outer courtyard of a castle wordnet
  4. 4
    The space immediately within the outer wall of a castle or fortress.
  5. 5
    the outer courtyard of a castle wordnet
Show 2 more definitions
  1. 6
    A prison or court of justice.

    "the Old Bailey in London; the New Bailey in Manchester"

  2. 7
    An argument which is controversial and more difficult to defend (in the context of a motte and bailey fallacy).

    ""Birds are dinosaurs" is the bailey; "birds are more similar to dinosaurs than anything else" is the motte."

Proper Noun
  1. 1
    A surname. countable

    "“I did not initiate, welcome, encourage, engage in, or learn from much less enjoy, [Adam] Bailey’s tirade. I did not base any part of any of my rulings on it, as Bailey has outlandishly, mistakenly, and defamatorily claimed,” Engoron wrote."

  2. 2
    A surname.; An English surname from Anglo-Norman [in turn originating as an occupation] for a steward or official. countable, uncountable
  3. 3
    A surname.; An English topographic surname from someone who lived by a bailey (the outer wall of a castle). countable, uncountable
  4. 4
    A surname.; An Irish surname originating as an occupation, an anglicization of Báille (“bailie”). countable, uncountable
  5. 5
    A unisex given name; A male given name transferred from the surname. countable, uncountable
Show 9 more definitions
  1. 6
    A unisex given name; A female given name transferred from the surname. US, countable, uncountable
  2. 7
    A placename; A sea area, to the north of Rockall, centred on the former Bill Bailey Bank (now Rockall Basin), located in the Atlantic. countable, uncountable
  3. 8
    A placename; A number of places in the United States:; An unincorporated community in Park County, Colorado. countable, uncountable
  4. 9
    A placename; A number of places in the United States:; An unincorporated community in Sherburne County, Minnesota. countable, uncountable
  5. 10
    A placename; A number of places in the United States:; An unincorporated community in Lauderdale County, Mississippi. countable, uncountable
  6. 11
    A placename; A number of places in the United States:; An unincorporated community in Jefferson County, Missouri; named for early settler John Martin Bailey. countable, uncountable
  7. 12
    A placename; A number of places in the United States:; A town in Nash County, North Carolina. countable, uncountable
  8. 13
    A placename; A number of places in the United States:; A ghost town in Grady County, Oklahoma. countable, uncountable
  9. 14
    A placename; A number of places in the United States:; A minor city in Fannin County, Texas. countable, uncountable

Synonyms

All synonyms
balliumenclosurenathaniel baileypearl mae bailey

Example

More examples

"“Today’s action by the FDA to ban menthol-flavored cigarettes, while long overdue, is a major step toward preventing a new generation from becoming tobacco users and saving lives," said Susan R. Bailey, president of the American Medical Association."

Etymology

Etymology 1

From Old French baile (“palisade, enclosure”), from Latin bacula, plural of baculum (“stick, rod”).

Etymology 2

(English topographic surname): See bailey (“outer castle wall”)

Related phrases

Aighton, Bailey and ChaigleyBailey CountyBailey bridgeBailey-Borwein-Plouffe formulaOld Baileymotte and baileybill bailey banknew yorkrockall basinsea area

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.